Description:

The ALT was utilised in a project that targeted foreign nationals, to encourage them to visit the area for "green tourism" (a type of holiday that is popular in Europe, where tourists stay at a private residence and enjoy interacting with nature and foreign culture). The ALT became a member of the Green Tourism Promotion Board, and produced PR materials and advertisements, and monitored the programme from the point of view of a foreigner.

 

 

Objectives:

The objective of the project was to show foreigners the attractiveness of Japanese culture by allowing them to visit rural Japan, where traditional life can still be experienced, and by allowing them to connect with Japanese people on a one-on-one basis. The project also sought to rejuvenate the local community through enhancing local tourism.

The ALT was involved in various facets of the project. The way in which the ALT was involved will be outlined below. It should be noted, however, that the ALT was employed by one of the town's schools, so he/she had to take time out of his/her schedule to be part of this project.

 

Green Tourism Promotion Board:

The Green Tourism Promotion Board was established in 2003 as the body in charge of coordinating the project. It was comprised of twenty people, some of whom were involved in agriculture, tourism, medical services, and commerce and industry, and some who were chosen to represent the interests of the local community. The ALT was included as a member of the board, and gave opinions from the point of view of a foreigner at board meetings, which were held three to four times a year.

 

Monitoring:

In the preparation stage, approximately twenty foreigners were asked to provide feedback on the green tourism programme after experiencing some of its main features, such as staying in a rural bed and breakfast, making pottery, etc. The ALT was responsible for gathering these foreigners, and for asking them for their impressions, in order to put together a formal document about their views. In addition, the ALT discussed his/her own opinions about the attractiveness and issues related to the green tourism programme after his/her experience, from the point of view of a foreigner.

 

Opinion Exchange Meeting:

In order to gather opinions about green tourism from local residents, an opinion exchange meeting was held. Many local residents assembled for the meeting, including foreigners, and various opinions were offered. For example, one opinion raised by a foreign resident was that in western countries, streets are all given names, so the fact that Japanese name blocks instead of streets is quite confusing for foreigners. This led to the placement of tourist information boards around town. The opinion that staying in a rural bed and breakfast was very appealing to foreigners was also raised at the meeting. The ALT also participated in this opinion exchange, and offered his/her views as a foreign resident.

 

Advertising:

The ALT was in charge of writing the English captions for a video produced to introduce green tourism and advertise the programme.

Tateyama Town (Toyama Prefecture)

Industry and Tourism Section

Tel: 076-463-1121

We often hear of CIRs being involved in these kinds of projects, but this example should be used as a model, to show that even ALTs, who may not be able to speak Japanese, can be utilised to this extent.